Tausch scored from the deep right corner with 4:39 left in overtime for the first of his 2 goals late in the extra session to give the Stallions a 3-1 win over Dixon.

It was a victory that clinched the CPC title for Southwest for the third consecutive year and gave the Stallions (8-2-2, 5-0) the league’s only automatic berth to the NCHSAA 1-A playoffs.

“It’s good to be able to look at the bracket and know where we are going to be and it’s good to know we get to host a couple of matches,” Southwest coach John Sweeney said. “But we expect to see Dixon again, and we have a lot of work to do before that happens.”

The league title also means one less postseason game for Southwest.

“This is important because we get a bye in the first game of the playoffs,” senior goalie Nick Matics said. “That’s another day for practice.”

This was the second loss to the Stallions this season for Dixon (11-8-1, 3-2). The Bulldogs lost 4-1 at Southwest on Sept. 26 and have lost six straight matches to Southwest, dating back to 2009.

Dixon now looks to gain a wild-card berth to the playoffs.

“I feel as though we will get in, but we do have to come in and win that match (Wednesday at home against East Carteret),” Dixon coach Kevin Hicks said. “We got to pick our heads up. I will give them (today) off and we will come back Friday and then practice Monday and Tuesday. We need to come out with determination.”

Tausch, a senior forward, is one player Sweeney has said has a will to win along with a knack of scoring clutch goals.

Tausch showed the latter with the game tied 1-1 as he scored the deciding goal with 4:39 left after he lofted a shot from about 5 yards away from the sideline and about 3 yards from the end line. His shot appeared to be a crossing pass, but the ball sailed over Dixon goalkeeper Kenny Berregard and a pair of Southwest attackers to land into the goal.

“It was … I was kind of trying to shoot it,” Tausch said as Sweeney laughed after overhearing his standout player. “I was surprised it went in. I thought it was going to be out or be a corner.”

Tausch wasn’t finished, however.

It took just 39 seconds later for hms to score again, this time finding the net on a header from near the 6-yard box. The goal essentially put the game away.

“The second and even the third goal was partially my fault because we couldn’t tie. A tie doesn’t give us a share of the conference championship and so we had to push (forward on the attack and go for the win),” Hicks said.

“We got down to the five minute mark of the second overtime … and we had to take a chance and push. When we pushed, we got counter attacked. Credit Southwest for counter attacking us.”

Tausch now has 5 goals against Dixon this season. He scored his team’s final 3 goals in the victory last month over the Bulldogs.

“Honestly, when we started the second overtime, I had a real good feeling about Austin. I felt his focus was there,” Sweeney said. “I know he puts pressure on himself. So if there is any way humanly possible for him to get a goal, he is going to do it.

“Some guys are born to do that and Austin has the confidence in himself to take that on his shoulders.”

Yet it looked as if the Bulldogs would find a way to win in overtime.

Dixon, which got a goal from Kevin Cotter with 13:03 left in regulation, had the better play in the first 10-minute overtime, but couldn’t capitalize on two close-range shots in that stretch.

“I felt this was a game of runs, and maybe we had the better play in the first half, but Dixon certainly stepped it up in the second half and clearly controlled play in the first overtime,” Sweeney said. “I just felt like the guys needed to settle down and recognize the situation we were in and go ahead and do the things they do well.”

Cotter scored after he played a short free kick from Austin Billiot and delivered a shot across his body from inside the 18-yard box.

“It was the best goal I’ve seen in a while,” Matics said.

And it certainly gave the Bulldogs momentum.

“We worked hard in set pieces yesterday at practice. Kevin made a good run and the ball was just played a little but even to behind him a little but and he did the only thing he could do,” Hicks said. “In the second half we were a different team. We played well.”

The Stallions had the better play in the first half, and that edge paid off in the form of Jamaal Respus scored with 8:08 left until the break after receiving a diagonal pass from Markkel Bannerman.

Still, Sweeney was concerned.

“I was very concerned because I felt Dixon created some really good chances even before our goal,” he said. “It’s tough against a team this good to think a 1-0 lead will stand.”

It didn’t, opening the door for the Stallions to take control late in overtime.

“We had a lot of guys play 100 minutes tonight,” Sweeney said. “I think what these guys showed tonight was they have a lot of character.”